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Yet another question from me...I am in travel planning mode, as we leave in 5 1/2 weeks.
Family of 5 (3 kids 10 and under) would like some restaurant recommendations. Generally, we plan on doing the neighborhood boulangerie thing in the am and then hitting outdoor markets for picnic lunches on the go. I already have my lightweight insulated bag from Whole Foods! As for dinners, we would like to hit a few memorable restaurants - nothing too upscale, but no greasy-spoon pizza/chicken tender places either. Authentic French would be nice at least 1 or 2 nights. We enjoy ethnic food and different types of cuisine as well. I would say the quality of food for the price (i.e., the most bang for your buck) is the most important to me. Good/memorable ambience is icing on the cake.
We are renting an apartment in the Marais district and I understand there is a killer Middle Eastern lunch/sandwich place within 3 blocks of us. We will also be doing the "top" sites in Paris, so if you have any suggestions near any of the big sites, that would be helpful as well.
Personally, I could eat fresh bread, cheese, fruit and veggies, visit a good chocolatier, a good roadside crepe, and consider my visit to be complete success!
Restaurant recommendations in Paris
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The "Middle Eastern" place you are referring to is probably the Israeli L'As du Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers. Very tasty food eaten either in one of two dining rooms or from the take out window The workers speak very good English.
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We've chosen a few new bistros in Paris for our September visit. I noticed the NY times travel section featured 2 of my choices in their article today. They also had a couple of other good choices listed, although not new. Check it out!
One of the places that we enjoyed was Chez Francis at Pont de l'Alma. It will be more expensive, but call ahead and make a reservation with an outdoor table if the weather is nice... it is located across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower and my kids loved eating there and watching the tower 'twinkle'.
As a bonus, they were incredibly nice to our kids... we have one who didn't eat much other than fries for dinner (she's not a meat eater), and they had run out of ketchup... the waiter went next door and got some for her. I will never forget that kindness.
My kids are already talking about going back next year and asked specifically about this restaurant...
I would not assume that French pizza is the same as you get in the US. It's sooooo much better and I consider it a treat. It's definitely not greasy spoon.
Not close to your apt., but I found Le Petit St. Benoit on rue St. Benoit (just west of Deux Magots) to be a great place to take a child. It's an old fashioned bistro with "comfort" foods like beef bourguignon, potage aux legumes, etc. You would take Line 4 Metro to St. Germain.
When my kids were little and we were in Paris every summer, they liked just about every place we liked. We typically stayed at a hotel in the 7ème and they enjoyed Pizza Tina, L'Auberge Bressanne, Le Florimond, La Fontaine de Mars, and all the local places.
I never see the need to plan out meals in advance, because Paris is chock full of good places to eat. To develop a list and try to stick to it is nonsense and impractical, especially with kids. Just head out and look at menus and decide what you want to eat.
With kids I think it's always a good idea to at least have some recommended restaurant options in the general area of where you're going to be. Dragging around three kids in August heat in an unfamiliar city looking for somewhere to eat is not my idea of fun.
In the Marais you might want to try a fun Spanish tapas place called Les Pietons. Also in the Marais (and also several other locations throughout the city) is a wonderful gelato place called Amorino. I will second the recommendation of L'as du Falafel. Love that place.
Since you say you're going to see the top sites, I'm going to guess that you're including a visit to the Louvre. If so, Cafe Marly has a great view of the pyramid courtyard and there have been plenty of kids there each time I've gone.